Christmas Bird Count in Belize

If you’re a birder, then you may already know: the objective of the Christmas Bird Count is to count (by sight or sound) as many birds as possible in one calendar day within an area encompassed by a circle 15 miles in diameter. The results of some 2,000 such Christmas Bird Counts are published annually by the National Audubon Society. And Belize has five:

Belize City

Gallon Jug

Belmopan

Cockscomb Basin

Punta Gorda

To find out details about joining any of them, this map shows every Christmas Bird Count scheduled in North and Central America. Zoom in on Belize and click on the circle of your choice. There’s also this article that gives you the overview and how to connect up. Here are details on Belize’s most popular Christmas Bird Count in Punta Gorda. It’s also the only one with open registration (the others simply require making contact with the coordinator).

Christmas Bird Count ala Punta Gorda

The Punta Gorda Christmas bird count circle includes all of Punta Gorda and extends north to Big Falls,east to the Rio Grande, west to Santa Anna and south to the Moho River.

Each year anywhere from six to ten groups, depending on the turnout, are assigned specific areas to cover within this circle. Every team is led by at least one expert, so this is a great opportunity for those of you who are a little rusty, or perhaps just getting started in the world of birding, to learn from the experts. The group meets every year at 7:00 p.m. the evening before the count at Nature’s Way Guest House to get acquainted, assign teams and figure out the transportation and other logistics.

At the end of the count day around dusk they again congregate at Nature’s Way to tally the results. Spouses, siblings, children and friends are also welcome, as long as they have an interest in birds and don’t mind getting their feet wet. If you have any questions, you can e‐mail questions to bzbirdman@gmail.com.